On the Right Path to the 2015 Season

The 2015 Season is only a few days away from getting underway. As the amusement park opens this weekend, be ready to experience a transformed south end of the park thanks in part to the Giant Wave Pool expansion. Some of our early bird visitors for Season Passes and picnic planning have already been stunned, and even slightly lost or confused, because of how radical the changes to the midway are. So to prepare everyone for their first visit to Waldameer and Water World in 2015, whether it be this weekend or in the coming weeks, WaldaBlog has your grand entrance mapped out to keep you on the right path to family fun.

Let us begin at our Peninsula Drive entrance...

Seems like the entrance we have always known.

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But right as we turn into the parking lot, we are greeted with a smooth, clean blacktop parking lot. A long-anticipated change from the dusty bumpy field.

Once you find your parking spot, just behind the Giant Wave Pool you will find the admission booths. Crews are also working extended hours to have the beautiful new archway set to greet guests arriving to Waldameer.

Pardon our dust. Once you pass through the admission booths, this path will take you into the park.

Make a left and cross the L. Ruth Express tracks.

Don't forget to process your 2015 Season Pass at Guest Services!

And you are officially in the park and ready for fun! Removal of the former ticket booths has dramatically opened the midway to ease congestion and provide a nice place to enjoy delicious Waldameer Sub Shop sandwiches.

For those of you using our 6th and 8th street parking lot, another new set of Admission Booths can be easily found at the Dodgem Entrance to the park.

The finishing touches are being applied right in time for Opening Day.

If you already have your 2015 Season Pass Processed, getting in the park will be a breeze with these fast Express Lines.

It will be a mad dash to the finish putting the last pieces in place to have Waldameer ready for Season 119, but we can't wait to officially unveil our new Grand Entrances this weekend as well as the Giant Wave Pool complex in just a few weeks!

See you at the park!

Progress Coming in Waves

The sun is out, the snow is melting away, and the birds are chirping. It must be Springtime at Waldameer and Water World. Back in February we promised it, and now Mother Nature has made it possible. What could be a better way to celebrate the first day of spring than exploring the Giant Wave Pool expansion in Water World?

"So much time and so little to do. Wait a minute. Strike that. Reverse it. Thank you." There is a lot to see, so lets not fuss around climbing on Comet.

First up is a preview of the Bathhouse expansion. Both the Ladies and Men's Bathhouses received expansions.

How will we get to the Giant Wave Pool? Great Question! A bridge and accessible ramp over the L. Ruth Express are being installed near the new Locker House and Comet. The Giant Wave Pool complex will also be connected to the existing Liquid Lightning and Awesome Twosome lounging area.

Speaking of the new Locker House, work is progressing well. Just a few hundred lockers away from completion!

As Waveside Grill's exterior nears completion, the Food and Beverage Department is finalizing all of the delicious new specialty items that will be served here.

The second set of Admission Booths, complete with express lanes of course, is taking shape.

Don't worry, we are closing in on the part everyone wants to see, but the best is saved for last. In the meantime just look at those massive filters! Takes a lot of power to filter water and generate waves in a half-million gallon pool.

Without any further delay, we made it to the crowning jewel of Water World, the Giant Wave Pool.

Under the blue tarps are the first sections of concrete poured for the outside walls of the pool.

The openings at the bottom of the pool are where the waves will be generated.

Mt. Waveside, while eroding rapidly, still gives us a stunning look at this massive Giant Wave Pool.

A lot has changed since WaldaBlog's last Wave Pool Update back in January when we climbed Mt. Waveside. Not much longer now until the waves are crashing and families are cooling off in the largest wave pool in the tri-state area.

P.S. If you are interested in being a part of the Team that keeps families safe while enjoying the Giant Wave Pool and other Water World attractions, we are taking Lifeguard applications now. Click here for more information.

Building for a Big Summer

This frigid winter seems to have no end in sight, but that hasn't stopped work here at Waldameer and Water World. Construction crews are braving the cold and making daily progress on several ongoing construction projects. Thankfully, they have built some warm winter hideaways using tarps and things called "Torpedo Heaters." This week we get the chance to take a peek into couple these hideaways and see some projects as they come to life.

Back in September, this was just an empty plot of dirt. What could be inside?

It's the first set of new ticket booths! These lanes will be utilized for guests needing to purchase wristbands and Wally Cards.

Over here the Express Lanes are taking shape for guests with Season Passes and pre-purchased tickets.

Before you know it, you will be greeted to Waldameer with a bright new place to receive wristbands and Wally Cards. Look out for another similar set of Ticket Booths that will be located at the Park Entrance from the Peninsula Drive parking lot.

Across the Midway, a tasty new concession area takes shape. The all new Sub Shop will offer a wide variety of sub sandwiches adding even more concession options to Waldameer and Water World's delicious menu. 

The former Imagination Station is being transformed to accommodate food preparation areas and two guest entrances.

While guests are having their subs prepared, they will be treated to a nice view of the family-favorite Merry-Go-Round though these large windows.

We hope you enjoyed a much warmer WaldaBlog update on the winter happenings at Waldameer and Water World. Stay Tuned for next time as we venture our way into Water World for a highly anticipated Giant Wave Pool expansion update!

Winter at Waldameer: Journeying Into the Eye of the Storm

Temperatures have reached into the single digits, the snow has been falling, and the wind has been howling. There must be another infamous Erie Winter upon us. While we were blessed with a mild December, January has been the exact opposite so far. After a week of snowy frigid conditions keeping us inside, Cabin Fever sent some of the Waldameer Team out into the midways to explore the Winter Wonderland during a break in the lake effect snow. We had to move quickly, as this eye of the storm didn't last for long.

Our first stop is one of everybody's favorite classic wooden coasters, Comet. You would never know a massive Water World expansion is underway to the right with the blowing snow everywhere.

A winter look into the "Heart" of Water World.

Wild River or Olympic Bobsled Course?

Speaking of Olympic Sports, Thunder River could fool anyone as a Ski Jump, but be careful of that landing!

A little snow never stopped the Pirate from protecting his Cove from treasure hunters.

Some of our worst fears all in one shot: Spiders, Haunted Houses, Heights, and Snow!

Spider's tubs are in the Maintenance Shop for their annual "Spin Up."

 The Shack might be cold and snow covered on the outside, but the spirits inside are alive and well.

Did anyone inform these guests that it is 7 degrees outside?

Ravine Flyer 3 might be the smallest of the "Ravine Flyers" but we need some practice for the challenge ahead.

Make sure you sit upright, hold on tight, and enjoy your Snow Flight on Ravine Flyer II.

Are you nervous yet?

But this special ride on Ravine Flyer II is going to pause for a moment to take in the spectacular winter views.

To our right, the North End is looking more like the North Pole.

Kiddieland and its neighbors brace for the next band of lake effect snow.

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Wow! What a view of the entire park! But watch out, a storm is brewing.

Correction: A storm is brewing with the exception of this part of the track where the snow never sticks, because it's always a hot 90 degrees.

One last chance to enjoy the spectacular winter view. Just a few days ago, Lake Erie was wide open with crashing waves. Weather sure changes quickly around here.

Would you dare to ride Ravine Flyer II in the snow?

A "snow bunny" hop ahead.

Now that was one Waldameer and Water World adventure you will never forget! Until next time, stay warm!

Over the Hill

Guess What? Did you know that we just passed the halfway point between our recent 2014 Season and the beginning of the 2015 Season? That's Right! January 4th was Day 125 of the 250 day off-season. We have made it over the hill, and what a better way to celebrate than to actually go over one of the largest "natural" hills at Waldameer and Water World. Lace up your boots and do some stretches, as we are about to take a rare opportunity climb the treacherous, but temporary, Mount Waveside.

Challenge Accepted!

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Made it to the top, but you may be asking why we are climbing this mountain? To make a long story short, a Giant Wave Pool expansion construction progress update is way overdue. So let's explore from an aerial perspective.

First thing we see is the progress on our Giant Wave Pool. Much of the concrete for the building holding the wave makers has been poured. The extension in the middle is the "peninsula" that will divide both sections of the massive pool. It might not seem like a lot of progress has been made since September, but this is the most complex section of the pool due to the amount of concrete needed for the very deep foundation in addition to the structures and plumbing needed to generate waves.

To the right of the Giant Wave Pool we can get a great aerial view of the progress on the new family restrooms and the expanded Locker House. The expanded Locker House (next to Comet) is actually the former Pizza Beach concession stand which will be recommissioned for locker rentals and some merchandise offerings. Each one of our new buildings will feature vibrant blue roofing seen here that will shine brightly in the sun.

Near Awesome Twosome and Liquid Lightning, the Waveside Grill is taking shape. You will find all of our most popular food items here as well as some new specialty items such as fresh handmade burgers and even spaghetti dinners. For you water slide dare devils, we left just enough space for a future giant bowl slide behind the Waveside Grill.

Looking South we see construction crews hard at work preparing the necessary drainage systems that will control runoff in the soon to be paved Peninsula Drive Parking Lot. Yes, that's right! Goodbye dirt and dust, and hello smooth, organized parking!

We might have a long Winter ahead of us, but it's okay to get excited for another Summer of Family Fun as we are more than halfway there. From here on out, expect the Giant Wave Pool and the surrounding area to really take off and begin looking more like their finished result. 

Until next time, Stay Warm!